Saudis Prove Again That They Are Untrustworthy Allies

Donald Trump's Mid East policy is built upon our alliance with Saudi Arabia to counter growing Iranian influence in the region. As part of that strategy, America has armed Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen's civil war to off-set Iran's support for the Houthi rebels there, despite a series of bloody Saudi attacks that resulted in the deaths of scores of civilians, many of them children.

It now appears that some of the arms that we sold to Saudi Arabia have been transferred to "al Qaeda-linked fighters, and hardline Salafi militias" in Yemen in order to buy their loyalty. And now that those weapons have become a form of currency, some have ended up in the hands of Iranian-backed fighters and ultimately Tehran.

CNN: "The weapons have also made their way into the hands of Iranian-backed rebels battling the coalition for control of the country, exposing some of America's sensitive military technology to Tehran and potentially endangering the lives of US troops in other conflict zones."

"Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, its main partner in the war, have used the US-manufactured weapons as a form of currency to buy the loyalties of militias or tribes, bolster chosen armed actors, and influence the complex political landscape, according to local commanders on the ground and analysts who spoke to CNN."

Congress has a multitude of reasons to cut off aid to Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen, from the cold-blooded murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, to civilian deaths in the Yemeni conflict, to the Kingdom's abysmal human rights record, especial concerning its treatment of female human rights activists. These latest revelations should be the last straw Congress needs to act to reign in the Saudis and demand greater accountability in exchange for our future support.

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